Malcolm Wilkerson
Malcolm Wilkerson is the main protagonist of the series. He is shown to have a rather justified superiority complex, though much of his misfortunes he brings upon himself. His lack of friends and popularity is mostly due to his parents and home situation, as well as his own ego and need for fairness and truth. A heavy example of this is in the fourth season episode "Malcolm Holds His Tongue", in which he gets kicked off his Basketball team for stating the (horrible) flaws in his coach's game plan, and thus attempts to keep his thoughts to himself, only to get a peptic ulcer by the end, after continually listening to what people had to say and not speaking his mind. Malcolm puts much, if not all, of the blame on his family for everything wrong in his life. He is constantly embarrassed by them and often tries to disassociate himself from them as much as possible. His personality causes him to occasionally put his own best interests ahead of others, despite the cost. He has been shown to leave his best friend Stevie Kenarban more than once, and often ran out on his Krelboyne classmates in favor of a more popular crowd (although, it is shown the Krelboynes have no true problem selling Malcolm out themselves). Malcolm has an incredible memory, Though it usually revolves around things he resents as he states "I remember anything that ruins my life." He will also hold a grudge for years, as seen in "Morp". Malcolm is the only one who seems bothered that the whole neighborhood hates their family. Malcolm's relationship with his brothers is one of seeming animosity at most times, though there have been several instances of much unity and friendship between them. Francis is his favorite brother and often looks up to him because he was rebellious and can tell Lois off. But like Reese, he felt dissappointment when they visited Francis on the Ranch he worked at and saw that he was no longer their Delinquent Idol, and had become a responsible Adult, but they made up with their older Brother at the end of the Episode. Though he had felt great guilt after having cheated with Reese's girlfriend (prompting Reese to join the army) the following season he compiled a list of things Reese did to him that he insisted were much worse. While he enjoys pulverizing Dewey and making him miserable, he occasionally attempts to help him, although it usually goes wrong (such as when it becomes apparent Dewey may also have a genius-level intellect, and Malcolm attempts to keep him from being transferred into the Krelboyne class, but instead manages to get him sent to a class for emotionally disturbed children after sabotaging his answers for his IQ test and attempted to fix the situation before Lois found out). Though on another occasion, at the Zoo when Dewey fell into the Tiger cage, inspite Malcolm being in a deep depression for most of the episode and apparently several weeks before hand, showed genuine worry and jump over several rails and then jumped into the cage himself to get to his Brother, (Only to trap himself in as well). A there in the Tiger cage, believeing himself about to die, confessed that he actually did love his Family. Malcolm has had five jobs in the series. His first was as a babysitter for a wealthy family to earn money to purchase a robotics kit, but he quit after learning that the family's parents were spying on him. In the fourth season, he worked as a tutor to a girl named Nikki, whom he eventually dated for a few episodes. Later, in the fifth season, Lois forced Malcolm to take a job with her at the Lucky Aide, as a way to have him under her control. While he hated the job and tried to quit many times, Lois would not let him. He finally quit at approximately the time he graduated High School. In season 6 he had a job betting on horses. In the final episode he gets a job as a janitor at Harvard to help with his tuition. In the final episode it is revealed that Hal and Lois do not plan for him to have an easy life. Because Malcolm consistently exceeds his parents' expectations, by both his intellect, his character and sense of ethics, by the time he graduates from high school, they have the highest of expectations for him: that he will become President of the United States. Pursuant to this, instead of letting Malcolm take a six-figure salary job out of high school, his parents force him to follow through on plans to attend college as part of an elaborate plan for his future. Lois says that at Harvard, Malcolm will have to work harder than his classmates and will accomplish more than they do, but they will continue to look down upon him. When Malcolm argues that he could have taken the job and "bought (his) way into office", Lois concludes that Malcolm "wouldn't have suffered enough". Because of the struggles he's forced to endure, Malcolm will realize that there is more to life than flaunting how intelligent he is. After college, the plan provides for him to channel his energies into a political career, and after starting off as a district attorney or running a foundation, he will be elected governor of a mid-size state, and then President. They envision that he would then become one of the greatest Presidents ever because he would represent, understand, and, more importantly, show empathy with the interests of people like his family, which, his parents say, no other President has. It appears that his brothers and Grandmother are aware of these plans, as when Malcolm looks around at his family after being told this, they all nod at him, and Francis simply states, "Thought you knew". After hearing this Malcolm ultimately understands that, even if he does move out of the house, he will never truly be free of his family. Although he recognizes that his parents' plans are outlandish and improbable, and complains that they are making decisions for him that are rightfully his to make, he signals that he has accepted their vision for him and will carry it in his valedictorian speech at his graduation ceremony. The series ends in a rather mediocre way for him, as while he does maintain contact with his family (as evidenced from a phone conversation with Reese), he is shown to be working as a janitor while attending Harvard. Despite this, it should be taken into account that Malcolm does seem to have realized the good this will do for himself and the world, accepts he can do it, and has comes to terms with his future. Further, he realizes this is his role when his mother asked him to look her in the eye and tell her he could not do it, could not do all these things, but he cannot, knowing it well within his ability. The character was originally written to be nine-years-old, and Muniz was sure this would prevent him from getting the role, as he himself was thirteen at the time. However, the makers of the show liked his acting so much that they bumped up the age of the character to twelve. Personality and Traits Malcolm's egotistical and antisocial personality is believed to have been inspired by the character of Holden Caulfield, protagonist of the novel The Catcher in the Rye. Malcolm is often heard calling others "phonies," a habit shared by Holden. He is shown in later seasons to be extremely self-centered and self-absorbed. Friends Because Lois forced Malcolm to be in the Krelboyne Class, he had trouble making friends because of it and was bullied. Stevie Kenarban, played by Craig Lamar Traylor. As Malcolm's best friend, Stevie first meets him in the pilot; they are in the same accelerated class through middle school and most of high school. They originally met on a play date and took a liking to each other through a mutual interest in comic books. Stevie is a wheelchair user and has severe asthma, and only one lung; as a result, he speaks softly and can only say one or two words on each breath. However, despite these handicaps, Stevie seems to be a normal teenager and does not let his physical disadvantages keep him from having a relatively normal life and even uses his handicap to his advantage. He is seen in several episodes milking his handicap to get favors from others, guilt his parents into buying him things, flirt with girls, and even pulling pranks or getting other kids in trouble. Stevie has a sarcastic side, has outsmarted Malcolm and Reese numerous times, and has even managed to get the better of Reese physically on occasion. He has been shown to be a far stronger person than both his parents (even Abe admitted he was a weak, small man). In the episode "Stupid Girl", it is hinted that Stevie might have a crush on Lois, even asking for a picture of her and saying "So how's my girl?" when asking Malcolm about her. Cynthia Sanders, played by Tania Raymonde, is a new and outgoing Krelboyne girl who joins Malcolm's class in the episode "Krelboyne Girl." Cynthia is one of Malcolm's first crushes throughout the series but quickly takes on the role of a caring and compassionate friend. She knows Krav Maga, which she promptly uses to subdue Reese when his behavior becomes too annoying to her. She is cited as also having very large breasts for her age. In season three her prolonged absence is explained by stating that she has returned from Europe. After sharing a brief romance with Reese (in which he is only trying to take advantage of her to see her breasts) she returns in the season four episode "Humilithon," she saves Malcolm from making a horrible mistake by saying they had sex; destroying her own reputation in the process. After this episode she is never seen again and there is no explanation as to what became of her. Lloyd, played by Evan Matthew Cohen, is one of Malcolm and Stevie's Krelboyne classmates and best friend for the first four seasons of the show. Lloyd is portrayed as nerdy, physically and emotionally frail, and overly-dramatic. As a Krelboyne (gifted student), Lloyd is often bullied by his classmates (including Reese), and often suffers the consequences of schemes with which he helps Malcolm. Lloyd suffers from anger displacement tendencies and major self esteem issues, which he regularly sees the school's therapist, Mrs. Gilbert, for. He has been publicly humiliated several times, most famously during "Krelboyne Picnic", when he got his braces stuck to a super-powerful magnet he built. It is lightly hinted that he is suicidal, as it is stated by his friend, Dabney, that the majority of his ideas end in suicide, and that he has more than once made a death pact. In "Cynthia's Back", Lloyd mentions that he has a third nipple. Like Malcolm's other Krelboyne friends, Lloyd appears less frequently during the show's fourth season, eventually leaving Stevie as Malcolm's only friend by Season 5. Interestingly, Lloyd is an undergraduate house at Caltech, a university well known for its emphasis on the natural sciences and engineering. Dabney Hooper, played by Kyle Sullivan, is one of Malcolm and Stevie's more emotionally-stricken and flamboyant Krelboyne classmates and best friend for the first four seasons of the show. Like other Krelboyne students, Dabney is regularly bullied and often suffers the consequences of schemes with which he helps Malcolm. Over the course of his appearances, Dabney displays vague homosexual traits, and often shows affection towards Malcolm. Dabney has an unhealthy relationship with his mother, Dorene, who orders her son around and attempts to dominate almost all aspects of his life. However, in "Hal's Friend", after Dabney receives a paintball gun as a birthday present from his grandfather, only for Dorene to take it away, Malcolm secretly takes him to a paintball battle course, and in the process he learns to stand up for himself and adopts a no-nonsense attitude towards his mother. Like Malcolm's other Krelboyne friends, Dabney appears less frequently during the show's fourth season, eventually leaving Stevie as Malcolm's only friend by Season 5. Interestingly, Dabney is a undergraduate house at Caltech, a university well known for its emphasis on the natural sciences and engineering. Eraserhead, played by Will Jennings, is one of Malcolm's other Krelboyne classmates, he is seen less frequently than the other Krelboyne students but is shown to have a talent for playing the piano, and often gets involved in class theatre productions. It is known he has an older brother who beats Reese up in the episode "Krelboyne Picnic" after he is caught tormenting Eraserhead. Kevin, played by Victor Z. Isaac, is a nervous and easily excitable Krelboyne student and one of Malcolm's friends that first appears early in the third season. It is hinted that he's berated at home, as he once exclaimed, when he got a bad grade on a test, "My stepdad's right, I am useless!". Like Malcolm's other Krelboyne friends, Kevin appears less frequently in Season 4, eventually disappearing midway through the season. Kevin's presence in the series seemed to be to fill the void of Eraserhead. Jessica, played by Hayden Panettiere, is a teenage girl who first made an appearance as a babysitter that Hal hired so that he could take on a second job while Lois was away tending to her pregnancy. Proving to be more of a threat than initially thought, she turned out to be as scheming, conniving and manipulative as any of the boys. In later episodes she was a frequent visitor as a neighbor who would come over to escape a negligent father. Working again for her own benefit she proceeded to create uncomfortable situations including convincing the family to see Mamma Mia! and convincing both Malcolm and Reese that the other was homosexual. In season seven she replaced Stevie as Malcolm's best friend and, though manipulative, did her best to look after Malcolm during that time. In one of the final episodes she convinces Malcolm to end a detrimental relationship claiming that she has feelings for him. After he returns to her once he ends his previous engagement, she confesses that she had once again lied. When Malcolm is upset that he has once again fallen for one of her tricks she kisses him, responding next with 'Yeah, nothing.' He and Jessica eventually get into a relationship together and it may be hinted that Lois will force them to marry. With Stevie's return Jessica is no longer seen; even during graduation. Much like Cynthia, her character has frequent breaks in between episodes, but unlike Cynthia, Jessica is given much more of a back story and her absences are fewer in the later season, making her more of a central guest character. In one episode it is revealed that she dates a very large and muscular Asian named Mike, whom Dewey uses to his advantage, in order to get Reese beaten up. Enemies '''Lionel Herkabe: '''Played by Chris Eigeman, is Malcolm's main enemy aside Lois. He was a Krelboyne teacher whom although shares many of his traits and personality, hates his profundly and does whatever he can to out do him. In the third season, he tries his best to make Malcolm feel small mostly because he is less of a genius. And because that Malcolm has a strong sense of right that Herkabe strongly objects because he thinks that becasue he is misrable Malcolm has to be misrable. The only time he was actually nice to Malcolm was in season 4's Academic Ocathalon, when Herkabe had learned that he snuck into the room and stolen the results and believed he gave North High an advantage. In season 7, he had once got Malcolm to agree to fail all of his classes intentionally if he leaves Reese alone. However, Herkabe makes the biggest by confessing that he failed Gym and lied about not taking the class for years in order to protect his GPA award. Malcolm gets his revenge on him by telling the school principal, Mr. Hodges (Steve Vinovich) about it. Herkabe loses his GPA award as his punishment for failing gym and had to retake the course again. He's last seen being humiliated by an overly exicited Reese tossing dodgeballs at him out of revenge for all the humiliation he's endured. '''Josh: '''Played by Michael Welch, was a next-door nieghbor of Malcolm and was supposively wanted to be his friend and empathized with him about his hate for Lois. It was soon revealed that he was a pathological and conivving liar who got him into serious trouble with everyone. One night he and Reese teamed up to destroy his lies, but caught Josh's mother, Tina, cheating on her husband(whom was the only family member that got along with Hal) with her gardener in a jacuzzi. This embarassed her that she made her children move away from Malcolm's family to avoid them embarrassing her further by telling Mike. Josh hasn't been seen since then, possibly embarrassed by Tina for cheating on his father. Trivia *Despite being egotistical and self-absorbed in the later seasons, Malcolm has shown concern for his family. Ths was very evident in Hal Grieves, while Reese and Dewey took advantage of their father buying presents. Malcolm realised it was wrong and even being promised a new car, he tried to stop Hal from going through with the purchase by telling him that he'd still love him regardless. It wasn't long until Lois finally steps in. *Out of the boys, Mr. Wilkerson(the boys' grandfather and Hal's father) likes Malcolm the most because of their love for history. This was partially shown in season 4's "Family Reunion" when they were trying to recreate a battle scene between the Union and the Confederates. *Unlike Dewey, Lois planned for him to be miserable and wants him to be President of the US. *In Season 4, episode 10 in If Boys Were Girls, his female counterpart in Lois' fantasies was Mallory who was played by Lisa Foiles. Like Malcolm, she shares his intelligence, but not his egotisical, self-absorbed nature and actually has a decent social life. *Martin Spanjers had auditioned for the role of Malcolm before Frankie Muniz *Malcolm's IQ is 165 as revealed in the Pilot as he was taking a IQ test *Malcolm's first line in Malcolm in the middle was "This is the world." Category:Characters